fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #2881 ]

[ SECRET POST #2881 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2881 ⌋

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My sister rescued a kitten. It is now like 6-7 months old. This is my sister's first cat and she currently has a dog. The cat and dog get along pretty good. Sometimes it is very clingy and nice.

But it can be very aggressive. It will run around her house jumping on everything. It attacks her. It will randomly claw or bite her. It had gotten on top of her head and bitten at her hair. It will sometimes jump at the dog.

She has other bad habits like getting on counters, stealing food, and has dragged her poop out of the litter box. She does not mind water so a squirt bottle does not help at all.

Any advice.

Apart from the dragging poop out of the litter box, a lot of those other bad habits are normal and have more to do with temperament than anything. If the litter box is too dirty, though, it might prompt the cat to be acting out. Likewise, if the cat is clingy, it might be in need of more attention or some play time where it can work off some extra energy.

The box isn't dirty, it gets cleaned twice a day. I know Sumer aggressiveness is normal but it seems excessive. The cat also does that teeth chattering thing if that helps any.

Has it always been this aggressive, or did it just randomly start?

Does anything on this site seem applicable? http://messybeast.com/nervous.htm Particularly the subheading about rough play.

Edited 2014-11-22 22:47 (UTC)

How long has she had this kitten since rescue?

She has had her for about 3 months. She has had her spayed already.

Most of that sounds normal for kittens, in my experience, especially the tearing about and jumping on everything. (Caveat: all my real experience is with my two almost 7 months old kittens. They were born to a feral mother and I've had them since they were 8 weeks.)
Kittens have a crapload of energy and need somewhere to channel it. Toys that mimic prey like ping-pong balls and toy mice or birds are good for that, and so is playing with her with something like a laser pointer or a ribbon toy.

For biting/clawing, it's often recommended to firmly tell the kitten no, move them, and distract them with a toy. Or if they do it during playtime, to stop playing and ignore them for a while. This worked for one of mine, but I only trained the other kitten not to bite by hissing at her and then ignoring her when she did it.

My kittens still spend a lot of time wrestling and play-attacking each other, which could be what her kitten is trying to do. It can look very aggressive. But if it seems like genuine aggression or she's doing it all the time or your sister is just worried, I'd discuss it with kitten's vet.

What breed is the cat? Some cats need exercise, especially if it's an exotic breed/is part exotic breed. You need to burn off some of its energy. Try getting some obstacles for it, or play with it daily. Also, the poop thing sounds like a litter issues. Some cats have sensitive paws, so they will poop outside the tray. You could try switching to a softer litter.

Sounds like an hypractive kitten. My dog was the same at that age so I'll second anon that they might need extra exercise. Maybe more play time. Another thing that worked for me was positive reinforcement (giving them praise for doing what they are told and so on).

Maybe drop the whole "squirt her with a bottle of water" because it sounds like she doesn't give a flying poop about water. When my dog misbehaved I would just ignore her and clean up. Her punishment was to be on time-out for 30-45 seconds and then take her out. If she did it again then time-out again until they learn. Also lots of patience.

Try a hood for the litterbox. All the other stuff is normal, so get toys for it to attack instead.

A hood is a terrible idea; it concentrates urine odors in a confined space. Not pleasant for your cat, and if the cat doesn't like the litter pan it will find somewhere else to pee.

My hooded litter box came with a charcoal filter and my cat has zero problems with it. It gets washed out entirely once a month and cleaned once/twice a day. It's worth it for both the odor elimination and for keeping litter contained. I also think my cat prefers the additional privacy.

That's...a kitten being a kitten. Seriously. Even the clawing and biting -- that's how kittens play. It's not "attacking" your sister or the dog, it's trying to play with them. And all of the other stuff is out of curiosity and boredom, not malice.

This isn't to say that it's inappropriate to start training for things like not sitting on the counter/stealing food. If the squirt bottle doesn't work, then dominance tactics might: blowing in the kitten's face; growling and hissing (sounds silly, but it works); brief periods of physical restraint.

Apparently some kittens like to fish poop out of the litter pan and bat it around the room. It even has a name: "poop soccer" or "turd hockey." Maybe try observing when she uses the pan and scooping the poop before she has a chance to play with it--also giving her more appropriate toys and engaging her in interactive play. My cat goes crazy for the Cat Dancer, a tuft of feathers on a string which is attached to a plastic wand. Other cats like a laser pointer.

Not OP

I giggled when I read "turd hockey" and then started wondering why cat toy manufacturers haven't made fake cat poop toys for these critters (and dogs).

Sounds like a normal energetic kitten. I recommend playing with it regularly to use up some of its energy. Also try rewarding good behavior with treats. For pets positive reinforcement is a lot more effective than negative reinforcement. And just be patient! :)

What kind of biting? If you're talking deep wounds that draw blood, then yeah, you've probably got an aggressive cat. If it's shallow biting/clawing, the cat's more than likely play-fighting, and hasn't yet learned to be gentle.

(If you're uncertain, cats will usually vocalise with growling/hissing/etc if they're aggressive; cats that are playing are quiet or will meow/purr.)

In either case, your sister can likely solve a lot of your problems by engaging the cat in more structured play. She's still working out how to attack/kill things at this age, and that's what cat playtime is all about - mock agggression. So use toys that encourage her to stalk, leap, pounce, etc. Don't just give her a toy and watch her bat it around - make her work to get at it. The more your sister makes her work, the more energy she expends, and the less inclined she'll be to test her claws and teeth on your sister's head.

Play-biting might take a little longer to resolve, since cats that age don't have the experience to realise our fragile human skin isn't like theirs. Make a habit of removing the cat from your lap/presence with a firm "No" if she bites. If she's on your lap, just stand up and let her jump off - as far as possible, try not to handle her at this point, or your might provoke more biting. Try not to flail, jump, etc - just get her on the floor and ignore her (leave the room if she keeps coming back). She'll get it eventually; just be patient and consistent.

Oh, and don't allow the cat to use your hands and feet as toys! They'll do that pretty naturally, because our limbs move and dangle, and are just the right size to attack. If she does that, redirect with a toy (so it's probably a good idea for your sister to keep stashes of toys in each room of the house!).

Never tried this before, but apparently clapping your hands loudly can startle a pouncing cat into stopping, at which point you use a toy to redirect their attention. Squirt bottles and the like are not a solution in and of themselves - they're just a way to get the cat to stop for a moment so you can get her to focus on something else. (Again, your sister might want to keep a toy at all times for this purpose.)

Good luck to your sis!

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[ SECRET POST #2881 ]

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